ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Bird Can 'Read' Human Gaze Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT We all know that people sometimes change their behavior when someone is looking their way. Now, a new study shows that jackdaws -- birds related to crows and ravens with eyes that appear similar to human eyes -- can do the same.

Artificial Pump Effectively Backs Up Failing Hearts Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Patients with severe heart failure can be bridged to eventual transplant by a new, smaller and lighter implantable heart pump, according to a just-completed study of the device.

New X-ray Spectroscopic Tool For Probing The Interstellar Medium Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Astronomers have published the first clear detection of signatures long sought in the spectra of X-ray astronomical sources, the so-called EXAFS signatures, standing for "Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure." EXAFS is a powerful tool for studying the structure of grains in the interstellar medium. It gives a more detailed picture of the composition and structure of amorphous grains in the ISM.

High Dosage Brachytherapy Obtains Excellent Results In Head And Neck Tumors Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT High-dosage perioperative brachytherapy (applied within the surgical process) obtains excellent results in the treatment of head and neck tumors, at the same time as reducing the period of radiation.

Tapping Industrial Waste Heat Could Reduce Fossil Fuel Demands Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Tapping industrial waste heat could reduce fossil fuel demands in the short term and improve efficiency of countless manufacturing processes, according to scientists.

Coming Face To Face With Autism Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT In the first study of its kind researchers will use video clips of spontaneously produced facial expressions in a real life social context to explore emotion recognition in autism.

Hydrogen Cars Closer To Reality With New Storage System Posted: 04 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have developed a critical part of a hydrogen storage system for cars that makes it possible to fill up a vehicle's fuel tank within five minutes with enough hydrogen to drive 300 miles.

Alzheimer's Disease Linked To Mitochondrial Damage Posted: 04 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that attacks on the mitochondrial protein Drp1 by the free radical nitric oxide -- which causes a chemical reaction called S-nitrosylation -- mediates neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Carbon Dioxide Forms Polymeric Materials Under High Pressure Posted: 04 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Carbon dioxide is a molecular gas at ambient conditions and an important constituent of the Earth's atmosphere. It is also a likely component in the Earth's mantle, and it plays an important role in the life cycle. But at high pressure, carbon dioxide can transform to a solid. Even more interesting, as the pressure increases and temperature varies, the intra- and inter-molecular interactions of carbon dioxide change dramatically and this results in different crystal structures in polymeric dense phases with interesting physical properties, such as "super-hardness". Thus carbon dioxide has become an extremely hot topic in science in the last decade.

External Focus Improves Postural Stability In Patients With Parkinson's Disease Posted: 04 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Patients with Parkinson disease may be able to improve their postural stability by directing their attention to the external effects of their movements rather than to the movements of their own body, according to new research.

Hermit Arthropods 500 Million Years Ago? Posted: 04 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT When animals first crawled onto land, one of the greatest obstacles they had to contend with was figuring out how to breathe. No longer bathed in oxygen-rich marine waters, their gills would surely have dried out. Scientists have analyzed fossils from 500-million-year-old rocks that show one way these early pioneers may have dealt with this problem--the first terrestrial animals carried a shell on their backs.

Multi-colored Uniforms Improve Perceptions Of Hospital Nurses Among Children And Parents Posted: 04 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Putting hospital nurses in brightly colored, unconventional uniforms makes children more comfortable and parents more confident, according to a study of 112 children. The children were more likely to use positive words about the nurses after the introduction of the new uniforms, and the parents also awarded the nurses higher marks when it came to issues like reassurance.

Collapse Of The Ice Bridge Supporting Wilkins Ice Shelf Appears Imminent Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT The Wilkins Ice Shelf is at risk of partly breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula as the ice bridge that connects it to Charcot and Latady Islands looks set to collapse. The beginning of what appears to be the demise of the ice bridge began this week when new rifts forming along its center axis resulted in a large block of ice breaking away.

Earlier HIV Treatment Lengthens Survival: More Compelling Evidence Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Starting antiretroviral treatment earlier than current US recommendations lengthened survival, according to new research. The study found that not starting HIV patients at a CD4 count greater than 500 cells per cubic millimeter increased risk of death by 94 percent.

Alternatives To Pine Bark And Peatmoss Identified For Commercial, Home Gardens Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Pine bark and peatmoss are commonly used in horticultural crop production but supplies of these inputs are being reduced due to pressures for using pine bark as fuel and growing environmental concerns over the mining of peat bogs in Canada and Europe. Researchers looking for viable alternatives, evaluated how well annual bedding plants performed in the landscape when grown using ground pine tree materials or ground pine bark.

Protein From Tick Saliva Studied For Potential Myasthenia Gravis Treatment Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have found that a protein in tick saliva shows promise as a potential treatment for the debilitating neuromuscular disorder myasthenia gravis.

Unexpected Behavior Of Quantum Dots When Combining To Form Molecules Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT A study has demonstrated that the behavior of quantum dots is different from that posited by atomic physics so far, and this is due to the spin of the electron. The study reveals that the behavior of quantum dots (sort of artificial atoms created with semiconductor materials) is different from that of natural atoms in similar conditions, when they combine to form molecules.

Breast Cancer: To Screen Or Not To Screen? Posted: 04 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Women are often told that mammography saves lives. But rarely is the question asked, "how often?" Researchers set out to examine how often this life-saving event occurs.

Sleep May Help Clear Brain For New Learning Posted: 03 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT A new theory about sleep's benefits for the brain gets a boost from fruit flies in this week's Science. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found evidence that sleep, already recognized as a promoter of long-term memories, also helps clear room in the brain for new learning.

Use Of Light In Medical Therapy Posted: 03 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT A new study emerging practice of drug delivery systems which use the application of light to activate medications in the body.

Poultry And Diabetics At Risk From Gas Gangrene Bug Posted: 03 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Gas gangrene, the notorious infectious disease of two world wars can still be a problem today. Researchers report that Clostridium perfringens, the bacterium responsible for gas gangrene in people, can also cause necrotic enteritis in intensively raised chickens. This frequently fatal disease has significant financial implications for the poultry industry.

Tracking Acute Kidney Injury Posted: 03 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Researchers in Japan have identified a novel biomarker to monitor acute kidney injury.

Environment Plays Role In Complex Heart Defect Posted: 03 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT A congenital heart disease, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, that often leads to death in newborns is significantly more common during the summer, leading researchers to believe that the environment, and not just genes that affect the heart, may play a role in causing "mini-epidemics" of this disease.

Compassion Fatigue: Impact On Healthcare Providers Of Caring For The Terminally Ill Posted: 03 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Compassion fatigue in front line cancer-care providers significantly impacts how they interact with patients, with patient families, with other healthcare workers, and with their own family, according to a new analysis.

One Of Brightest Gamma-Ray Bursts Ever Seen Posted: 03 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Europe's Integral satellite has captured one of the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever seen. A meticulous analysis of the data has allowed astronomers to investigate the initial phases of this giant stellar explosion, which led to the ejection of matter at velocities close to the speed of light. In particular, the astronomers believe that the explosion lifted a piece of the central engine's magnetic field into space.

Brain Cells Have 'Memory', Researcher Discovers Posted: 03 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT As we look at the world around us, images flicker into our brains like disparate pixels on a computer screen that change several times a second. Yet we don't perceive the world as a constantly flashing computer display. Why not? Neuroscientists think that part of the answer lies in a special region of the brain's visual cortex which is in charge of distinguishing between background and foreground images.

As Good As It Gets: Octogenarian Muscles Don't Get Stronger With Exercise, Study Finds Posted: 03 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Octogenarian women were unable to increase muscle mass after a three-month weight lifting program targeted at strengthening the thigh muscle. The results are surprising because previous studies have found resistance training capable of increasing muscle mass, even for people who are into their 70s. An increase in muscle size translates to an increase in strength.

High Prevalence Of Infection With Three Recently Discovered Human Polyomaviruses Posted: 03 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT A majority of the human population has been exposed to newly discovered KI (KIV), WU (WUV), and Merkel cell (MCV) human polyomaviruses, according to a new study. The results, based on antibody measurements in serum samples, also suggest that infection with these viruses occurs early in childhood.

Ecologists Question Effects Of Climate Change On Infectious Diseases Posted: 03 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Recent research has predicted that climate change may expand the scope of human infectious diseases. A new review, however, argues that climate change may have a negligible effect on pathogens or even reduce their ranges. The paper has sparked debate in the ecological community.

White Wine Can Make Tooth Stains Darker Posted: 03 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT It has long been known that red wine causes teeth to stain. But white wine? A recent study found that drinking white wine can also increase the potential for teeth to take on dark stains.

Healing Heart Attack Victims, One Cell At A Time Posted: 03 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT By using the amount of carbon 14 in the atmosphere from above-ground nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960, researchers have determined that cells in the human heart develop into adulthood.

100 Hours Of Astronomy: Worldwide Astronomy Marathon Set To Break Records Posted: 03 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT The International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone project, 100 Hours of Astronomy, is on track to be the largest single science public outreach event ever. More than 1500 events have been registered in over 130 countries and this number is increasing every day. 100 Hours of Astronomy is a truly global project; an event on a scale never attempted before, with more than one million people expected to participate.

Individualized Stroke Treatment Available For Patients, Though Underutilized Posted: 03 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Nearly 90 percent of the 700,000 strokes that affect US patients each year are caused by a blockage of blood vessels supplying the brain, known as ischemic stroke. A new study provides solid evidence of the effectiveness of catheter-based therapy to remove blood clots in stroke patients.

Corrosion-inhibiting Coatings Containing 'Good' Bacteria Posted: 03 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT A new, environmentally friendly coating that protects metals against corrosion in seawater has been developed by a team of researchers from England. They recently described how they had encapsulated spores from a bacterium into a sol-gel coating which then protected an aluminium alloy from microbial corrosion.

Rising Sea Levels Will Lead To 'Relocation, Relocation, Relocation': Math Could Address Climate Change Population Concerns Posted: 03 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT As sea levels rise in the wake of climate change and semi-arid regions turn to desert, people living in those parts of the world are likely to be displaced. Mathematicians have worked out a new approach to planned relocation.

Robot Scientist Becomes First Machine To Discover New Scientific Knowledge Posted: 03 Apr 2009 11:00 AM PDT Researchers in the UK have created a 'robot scientist' which they believe is the first machine to have independently discovered new scientific knowledge. The robot, called Adam, is a computer system that fully automates the scientific process.

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